Early movers: JPM, DD, NSC, BABA, WFC, JNJ & more

A trader works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Oct. 24, 2014.

Check out which companies are making headlines before the bell:

JPMorgan Chase—The bank earned $1.45 per share for the first quarter, 5 cents above estimates, with revenue also above Street forecasts. CEO Jamie Dimon said the company is getting safer and stronger, as well as gaining market share.

Johnson & Johnson—The medical device maker beat estimates by 2 cents with adjusted profit of $1.56, with revenue also above estimates. J&J did say that currency hurt Q1 sales by 7.2 percent, and it lowered its full-year guidance due to the impact of the stronger dollar.

Wells Fargo—The bank reported quarterly profit of $1.04 per share, 6 cents above estimates, with revenue also above forecasts. The report did break an 18-quarter streak of higher year-over-year earnings, as the bank deals with the impact of a lower interest rate environment.

DuPont—CEO Ellen Kullman sent a letter to employees warning the proxy contest between DuPont and Nelson Peltz's Trian might become "increasingly intense," and explaining why the company is so actively opposing Trian's initiatives.

Discover Financial—Wells Fargo began coverage on the credit card issuer with an "outperform" rating, saying Discover is the most leveraged among its peers to benefit from rebounding credit card loan growth.

Procter & Gamble—The Wall Street Journal reported that the consumer products giant appears to be laying the groundwork for CEO A.G. Lafley to depart as soon as this summer.

Norfolk Southern—The rail operator said it expected to earn $1 per share for the first quarter, below current consensus estimates of $1.25. Norfolk Southern said slower coal volumes and a reduction in fuel surcharge revenue are among the factors weighing on the bottom line. The warning is also impacting other rail stocks, like Union Pacific.

IBM—IBM is creating a new "Watson Health" unit, in an extension of its data analytics partnership with Apple. The new unit will provide data analytics to health care companies, using information gathered by Apple devices.

Avon Products—The cosmetics company postponed its annual investor meeting—originally set for May 13—until the fall. Avon said the delay will allow new Chief Financial Officer James Scully time to prepare for "a more robust discussion" of turnaround strategies.

Alcatel-Lucent—The company is in advanced talks to be bought by Finland's Nokia. The companies say a deal is not yet certain, and there has been no word on a possible valuation.

Alibaba—The China-based e-commerce giant said it has instituted a number of measures to fight counterfeit goods, following a strongly worded critical letter from the American Apparel & Footwear Association to U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman. The group said it did not feel Alibaba was either capable or interested in addressing the issue.

JetBlue—JetBlue is the quickest U.S. airline to cancel flights during storms, according to a Reuters analysis. The study said that policy may help customers get to their destinations more reliably.

Amazon.com—Amazon has reached a multi-year publishing deal with News Corp.-owned HarperCollins, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Pep Boys—Pep Boys reported an adjusted quarterly loss of 5 cents per share, compared to estimates for a 3-cent per share profit. Revenue was also shy of estimates, but the auto parts retailer said it is seeing a turnaround in the current quarter.